ALS results from the selective and progressive degeneration of motor neurons. Although the underlying disease mechanisms remain unknown, glial cells have been implicated in ALS disease progression. Here, we examine the effects of glial cell/motor neuron interactions on gene expression using the hSOD1(G93A) (the G93A allele of the human superoxide dismutase gene) mouse model of ALS. We detect striking cell autonomous and nonautonomous changes in gene expression in cocultured motor neurons and glia, revealing that the two cell types profoundly affect each other. In addition, we found a remarkable concordance between the cell culture data and expression profiles of whole spinal cords and acutely isolated spinal cord cells during disease progression in the G93A mouse model, providing validation of the cell culture approach. Bioinformatics analyses identified changes in the expression of specific genes and signaling pathways that may contribute to motor neuron degeneration in ALS, among which are TGF-β signaling pathways.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1222361110 | DOI Listing |
Mol Biol Rep
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology, School of Health Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151401, India.
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune condition that damages the myelin sheath of neurons in the central nervous system, resulting in compromised nerve transmission and motor impairment. The astrocytopathy is considered one of the prominent etiological factor in the pathophysiology of demyelination in MS. The expression level of ceramide synthase-2 (CS-2) is yet to be established in the pathophysiology of astrocytopathy although the derailed ceramide biosynthetic pathways is well demonstrated in the pathophysiology of demyelination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife Sci Alliance
April 2025
Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, TIGEM, Pozzuoli, Italy
Protein aggregates in motoneurons, a pathological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, have been suggested to play a key pathogenetic role. ALS8, characterized by ER-associated inclusions, is caused by a heterozygous mutation in VAPB, which acts at multiple membrane contact sites between the ER and almost all other organelles. The link between protein aggregation and cellular dysfunction is unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neural Eng
January 2025
Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications, University of Rome La Sapienza, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, 00185, ITALY.
Deep learning tools applied to high-resolution neurophysiological data have significantly progressed, offering enhanced decoding, real-time processing, and readability for practical applications. However, the design of artificial neural networks to analyze neural activity in vivo remains a challenge, requiring a delicate balance between efficiency in low-data regimes and the interpretability of the results. Approach: To address this challenge, we introduce a novel specialized transformer architecture to analyze single-neuron spiking activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuromolecular Med
January 2025
Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, No 56, Xinjian Nan Road, Taiyuan, 030001, Shanxi, China.
The integrity of the myelin sheath of the spinal cord (SC) is essential for motor coordination. Seipin is an endoplasmic reticulum transmembrane protein highly expressed in adipose tissue and motor neurons in the SC. It was reported Seipin deficiency induced lipid dysregulation and neurobehavioral deficits, but the underlying mechanism, especially in SC, remains to be elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Physiol
January 2025
Department of Physiology & Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Motor neurons (MNs) within the nucleus ambiguus innervate the skeletal muscles of the larynx, pharynx and oesophagus, which are essential for swallow. Disordered swallow (dysphagia) is a serious problem in elderly humans, increasing the risk of aspiration, a key contributor to mortality. Despite this importance, very little is known about the pathophysiology of ageing dysphagia and the relative importance of frank muscle weakness compared to timing/activation abnormalities.
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